Mezzanine

Winning design for new infill (former) Kievitplein Building Block 1 The headquarters of De Persgroep Publishing, currently DPG Media, will be definitively based on Kievitplein in Antwerp as an iconic interactive work temple. The design came about after an intense design strategy within the conditions of an open competition. The site's 'genius loci' has been thoroughly studied and translated into an international architectural icon that takes into account the exceptional interactions that will take place on Kievitplein. With the winning design by Binst Architects, the hitherto underutilised Kievit site will create a new dynamic both on the Kievit side and on the Pelikaanstraat side - in short, the entire station area. The sculptural express... More

The Mauritius Commercial Bank building designed by Mauritian architect Jean-Francois Koenig in 2006 and completed in 2012 is situated in the centre of the island of Mauritius to decentralise from head office in the Capital City Port Louis to be closer to the living areas of the workforce thereby reducing travelling time and distance from the workplace.   The dual functions of auditoriums/lecture rooms and offices are housed in an elliptical shaped building derived from the desire to save unusable low headroom space usually found under wedge-shaped auditorium sloping floors by raising it off the ground to form the underbelly of the building ; and to bring management on top floors typically cut off from staff on lower levels visually m... More

Farfalla is a project whose main objective is the integral development of mothers and children in a friendly environment where they can share recreational and social spaces.   The main idea of ​​the project is to maintain that essence and character that the affected materials of a old house give us, with an intervention of contemporary architectural elements that together achieve a very interesting language.   Between aged walls, volcanic stone, old woods combined with modern elements such as losacerosteel deck, large crystals, smooth walls, carpentry with ironwork details, among others.   The architectural project is following a central guiding axis, forming a large walkway, forcing it to cover the almost 220 m2, havin... More

Will & Co Bondi Beach is an experimental hybrid space – part workplace, part commercial, part educational located in a refurbished beachside building. Designed as a company HQ, showroom, training venue, working cafe, roastery and branding exercise, it’s inspired by young entrepreneurship, street art and defined by its simple coastal palette. Caption The clients were a group of friends behind one of Australia’s leading boutique coffee houses. The brief outlined the client’s desire to evolve their brand and create a hybrid typology which seamlessly marries a commercial space (appealing to B2B and B2C clients) with an environment conducive to educational and community activities. Caption Facing north-wes... More

When OTTOTTO studio removed the plaster from the walls of this house, two imposing stone walls were revealed. Their beauty made it inevitable to keep them in sight, adding just a new layer, in metallic mesh, to blend the 20th century with the new structure and skylight. As it is common in the center of Porto, Portugal, the house is narrow, long and has only two fronts: the challenge was to bring more light to the semi-basement and to all the interior spaces; drawing a single cut in the roof was the solution - a "square ring", with a constant width of 70 cm, that crosses the three floors and is overlooked by eight windows. It's the windows that create tension between each room, as from one you can always spy on another ... The large glass... More

The space that captures you, the place where you lose the sense of time, the atmosphere that makes you calm, it’s Vineria, wine cellar in the central part of Old Tbilisi. From a chaotic, busy street we suddenly get into the space that is completely isolated from the city, street, people, noise, and creates its own world. Prior to the renovation works, there was the abandoned basement with honed walls, remains of old coverings and a lot of useless items. However, the potential of this space was noticeable from the very beginning. Our goal was to create a place, which would make anyone feel comfortable, release from the daily load and get an opportunity of rest. From stairs, we see the green wall (with plants) and in front of it - the r... More

The Inside Out is made of dreams. Dreams of a life away from the congestion, chaos and traps of the city; dreams of composure and self exploration; dreams of a memories in the midst of nature.   Located in the outskirts of Bangalore the Inside Out House is a home for a young couple and their child. It holds true to its promises, but it takes cognisance that the grains of these dreams, align with the idea of the city itself they escape. All pointing towards the same vanishing point. The Inside Out House locates itself at this intersection, between the romantic and the brutal.   Sitting heavily on the site with the visual of a large brutal structure, the external walls of the Inside Out House go right out to enclose a 'world' in... More

The Chicago O'Hare Airport International Terminal was commissioned by The Westfield Group and designed by Epstein Global, in conjunction with the conceptual designers at Thirst Design Communication. John Kolb - Epstein Global's associate Vice President and Lead Architect on this project describes the design intent, "Chicago Airport Terminal 5 was designed 21 years ago by Perkins+Will. It's modern, clean design is recognized and appreciated. We did not want this to feel like a renovation that didn't consider the existing architecture. Instead we wanted to adhere to it, but make it better". When designing the two-story interior curtain wall, Kolb's team was faced with the challenge of integrating both design and functionality. As the glass p... More

Taller Estrella Jafif was designed to accommodate a broad range of disparate, yet simultaneous activities. Located in Lomas, a primarily residential neighborhood on the western side of Mexico City, the project stemmed from a need for a local, kosher, culinary school. From this initial idea, the residence’s program expanded to provide the surrounding community with a venue for small events and gatherings; in addition to offering kosher cooking classes, the space hosts art exhibitions, yoga classes, large catered celebrations, and a variety of other activities allowing the neighbors to stay local rather than travel miles through Mexico City’s protracted traffic.   We grouped complementary program in the three-stor... More

The building is located in the Buenos Aires suburbs, in the town of Montegrande within the Esteban Echeverría district. It is a low-scale residential neighborhood that coexists with an old industrial and tannery sector and has become a logistics hub for distribution and storage.   The construction is situated on an access avenue that connects the highway from the center of the city of Buenos Aires with the Montegrande commercial center. As soon as you go down the highway you will find large industrial warehouses that set the tone for the materiality and development of the project. The building is separated from the official line, forming a broad urban front that is linked to the front with a small existing plaza, generating a... More

BB Garage came about with the client wishing to improve vehicle circulation to the residence for visitors and increase storage space for his special car collection integrating a games/rumpus space. An avid motor sport enthusiast often not being able to appreciate his cars as they were stored remotely. The design philosophy was more akin to a museum rather than a garage and took cues from race car design and function as an ‘aircraft hangar’. With a restricted planning envelope, the design concept was inspired by a stealth bomber jet, black and triangular in our case for deflecting the visual mass. The diminishing ‘open nose cone’ reminiscent of a formula one race car houses a sixties Dino GT Ferrari in a double hei... More

Incorporated in a modern landmark in the city of Braga, the new JCC Diagnostic Imaging stands out for its minimalism and elegance. João Gigante This project was developed in line with the pioneer concept for the clinic, making use of the best raw materials and equipment taking advantage, as a starting point, of the existing ribbed slabs and concrete skylights. João Gigante João Gigante The pursuit for simplicity in order to enhance the perception of the ceilings and natural light resulted in the creation of cubic spaces enriched by the light and colour details. The symbiosis between functionality and aesthetics required for the provision of specific medical services results in a symmetric matrix through... More

Located in a small and peaceful coastal village in Vung Tau, Viet Nam, this house was designed for a family of 3 members leaving the busy city to live and start a homestay business. Thanks to minimalist design and cutting down unnecessary items, the house creates gentle living energy which makes the host toward nature entirely.   The strategy was to separate building into two parts with the skylight and green space in the center while the ground floor is opened completely.The design provides convenient solution of natural ventilation, bringt sunlight and fresh air to every single corner of the house which are often limited due to long and narrow townhouse. It also provides open view from bedrooms gathering around this skylight to sur... More

General Motors is dedicated to achieving operational excellence at all levels of their organization, employing cutting-edge information technology that ultimately improves the quality of their products, accelerates their time to market, and drives down unnecessary costs. To that end, they opened a number of Information Technology Innovation Centers around the country where their burgeoning group of IT talent can collaborate to advance the automaker's overall business strategy and strengthen their position at the technological forefront. GM's Atlanta-area IT Innovation Center is housed in a former U.S. Postal Service office complex with an attached 81,000 SF distribution center that they initially left vacant. Our team was tasked with desig... More